Jobs & Opportunities » Opportunities

2026 Craft Research Fun Grant

Type: Awards, Grants, Fellowships [View all]
Posted by: Center for Craft
Deadline: Fri, October 17th, 2025

Grants up to $15,000 are awarded to support new and interdisciplinary research about craft in the United States.

The Craft Research Fund is the Center’s first and longest-running grant program dedicated to supporting new and interdisciplinary research about craft in the United States. Since 2005, the program has supported 255 projects in 41 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico by distributing over $1,900,000.

In addition to receiving this prestigious award and funding, recipients of the Craft Research Fund will become members of the Center for Craft Alumni Network. This social platform is designed exclusively for current and previous grantees and offers valuable resources, networking opportunities, and ongoing support for craft research. 

GRANT GOALS
The Craft Research Fund encourages, expands, and supports craft research in the United States.

Encourage
To encourage innovative research on critical issues in craft theory and history
Expand
To investigate neglected questions on craft history and criticism
Support
To support new cross-disciplinary approaches to scholarship in craft

OVERVIEW
Award Amount: $5,000 to $15,000
Grant Period: 18 months

TIMELINE
Application Open: June 20, 2025
Application Information Session: August 6, 2025
Application Deadline: October 17, 2025
Award Notification: December 2025
Grant Period Begins: January 2026
Grant Period Ends: August 30, 2027
Final Report Due: August 30, 2027

ELIGIBILITY
Proposals are welcome from applicants, including but not limited to organizations, curators, artist-researchers, independent and academic researchers, and scholars.
● This grant is intended to support research and is not for the creation of artwork
● This grant will not provide funding for already completed research or the dissemination of already completed research Applicants must be:
● Applicants must be able to receive taxable income in the U.S. for the duration of the grant and report this grant as income
● Applicants must be 18 years of age or older
Applicants cannot be:
● Substantial contributors to the Center for Craft as well as current employees, consultants, or board members of the Center for Craft, or immediate family members of such a person.

If an applicant has been previously awarded a Center for Craft grant, but did not complete the project or is still in the process of completing a grant or fellowship, they are not eligible to apply.
Applicants may only receive one Center for Craft grant and/or fellowship per year. Awards cannot be deferred to the next year due to outstanding applications or multiple awards.

The Center encourages applications from historically underrepresented populations. The Center for Craft prohibits discrimination, harassment, and retaliation based on sex, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability or perceived disability, age, marital status, gender identity, veteran status, or any other protected category. Applying does not constitute a promise or guarantee of being awarded a grant.

What is Craft?
The Center for Craft defines craft as a particular approach to making with a strong connection to materials, skill, and process. Artists, makers, scholars, and curators continue to grow the field, embracing new definitions, technologies, and ideas while honoring craft’s history and relationship to the handmade.

Craft, in all its forms, demonstrates creativity, ingenuity, and practical intelligence. It contributes to the economic and social well-being of communities, connects us to our cultural histories, and is integral to building a sustainable future.

Examples of craft research might include:
● Research providing new insight into work by historical or contemporary craft artists, communities, or practices in the United States
● Research that places American craft in a global context
● Research presenting a new understanding of the relationship between hand-made production and digital technologies
● Research supports new cross-disciplinary approaches to scholarship in craft
● Or other topics that offer fresh perspectives within craft

More information on Use of Funds, Grant Requirements, Criteria/Review Process, How to Apply, and a Sample Application available in this grant kit.

Questions? Please contact Mellanee Goodman, Program Manager - Research and Ideas, at mgoodman@centerforcraft.org or call (828) 785 - 1357 ext. 103.

Posted on Thu, June 26th, 2025
Expires on Fri, October 17th, 2025

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